Colon hydrotherapy (or a colonic, as it is usually called) is a professional health service that can be extremely helpful to prevent disease, to prepare for a colonoscopy, to help with constipation, or for anyone with digestive issues.Purified water is slowly and gently introduced into the colon, also known as the large intestine. Over the course of about 45 minutes, a lot of old fecal material, gas, and mucus are dissolved, broken up, and … [Read more...]

So many of us are chronically sleep deprived due to a myriad of reasons – stress, over-stimulation from television, computers and phones, poor exercise and eating habits, etc.; I have never been a great sleeper and in fact am perfectly happy and energetic operating on six hours of sleep per night, which I’m consistently told is “not enough” but in recent years the added effects of menopause have made sleeping through the night even more … [Read more...]

Into this box – old paints and thinners and primers and stains and cleaners and brushes. Take it away.
Into that box - broken phones and batteries, cords and cameras no longer blinking. Take it away.
On the porch - books and clothes and more books and more clothes, and stuff and stuff and stuff. Take it away. Please take it away.
And paintings from the walls, and dishes from the shelves, and papers and papers and papers. I beg of … [Read more...]

Last night I heard a friend had passed away. She was my age. After two months of surgery and great pain, the cancer got the best of her.
As we spoke of her and the progression of her illness over cups of tea, the thing that struck me most was a story of how in her last days of delirium she played melodies in the air. That visual, fingers moving in the shadows, playing a Mozart Concerto was hauntingly beautiful, and terribly painful.
For … [Read more...]

A patient of mine, we’ll call her Jane, described the following process. She had manysymptoms that not only aggravated her, they also scared her. She was worried she was deteriorating very rapidly.
Here were her symptoms: Poor energy and stamina: she did not feel refreshed after a full night’s sleep and had an afternoon slump. Her hip joints became painful and stiff over the past year to the point where she limped. Additionally, her … [Read more...]

Many people ask me what is the secret for "anti-aging." The first thing I mention is that we all "age" whether we want to or not. True, some people seem to age more slowly than others. Looking young is the standard. Thus the push for products that keep the skin young, facials or even surgery that eliminate wrinkles, or magic potions that ensure youthful features and strength and stamina. Where is that darn "fountain of youth" anyway? I … [Read more...]

The disastrous contaminated water situation in Flint, Michigan this year has alerted the populace across the country to the problem of lead contaminated water. People were unaware of lead as a problem in the first place, unless you remember leaded paint and leaded gasoline. Secondly, many of us have been unaware of how much lead is still used in our environment. Why is lead such a problem? There is no safe level for lead in the human body. … [Read more...]

Even in Los Angeles, the evenings are relatively cooler. 'Tis the season for colds, coughs, sniffles and flu. Three people in the last 10 days have mentioned to me that they have had a cough that would not go away. They all had a fever and malaise for the first few days and recovered from those symptoms yet the cough continued. (Two had already taken the flu shot.) What is a person to do?
Here are my recommendations:
Wash your hands … [Read more...]

“Women die in childbirth as a result of systemic failures including: barriers to accessing care, inadequate, neglectful or discriminatory care, and overuse of risky interventions like inducing labor and delivering via cesarean section.” -- Amnesty International
For many of us who haven't yet been through childbirth, there's an image we have of what it's like: A woman is rushed to the hospital in a taxi; she gets put in a wheelchair and is … [Read more...]